Two young men are fighting for life in a north Queensland hospital after a catastrophic crash between a bus and four-wheel drive towing a caravan killed three women and injured many others.
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The Greyhound bus carrying 33 people and 4WD had been travelling in opposite directions near Gumlu, in the Whitsundays region on Sunday when they collided in a 100km/h zone on the Bruce Highway.
Police described the chaotic crash scene as "very, very confronting" with investigations ongoing into the cause of the tragedy.
The bus was heading to Townsville, around 1.5 hours from where the crash took place.
Seven people had been transferred to Townsville University Hospital following the crash.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Jason Yates said as of Sunday evening three people had been discharged.
Four people remained in hospital with two men aged 24 and 23 in critical condition and another two men, 27 and 51, in a stable condition.
Whitsunday Mayor Ry Collins said the area of the highway can be challenging and it feels like a "country road".
"The challenge is this is the national highway ... for many of our southern listeners, if you are to drive the road it doesn't feel like a highway, it feels like a country road," Cr Collins told ABC radio.
"There's no shoulders on the road, it is a fairly open section so I'd imagine the vehicles coming either way would have been able to see each other but there's obviously been something happened here where one's veered into the other's lane."
Greyhound Australia said in a statement the company was "heartbroken" three passengers aboard the Brisbane to Townsville service had died.
"This is a tragic incident. Our deepest sympathies go out to those involved and their families and friends," they said.
The Bruce Highway has since reopened.
Australian Associated Press
